Dance barre fixture



Nov. 12, 1957 L. o. FlNCH 2,812,944

' DANCE BARRE FIXTURE Filed Feb. 25, 1955 INVENTOR. J6 I 1 07/15,? 0. FY/VCH United States Fatent Q DANCE BARRE FIXTURE Luther O..Finch,, Huntington Park, Calif.

Application February 23, 1955,, Serial No. 489,910

4 Claims. (Cl. 212-62);

This invention relates to a new and useful dance barre assembly for use in the practice of dancing and the like.

In dance studios or practice halls, where ballet dancing is taught or practiced, it is customary to have a supporting barre, known as a dance barre, permanently'attached to the wall. The individual practicing the dancing supports herself from the barre and can gradually develop, with its assistance, the strength, and. skill for the. par ticular type of dancing being studied.

Since the height of dancers is not the same and oftentimes some classes will contain children, where others will contain grownups, more than one barre is often attached to the walls of the studio, the height from the floor being determined by the average height of the individuals in the age group who are making use of same. These dance barres usually are supported about one foot from the wall. Accordingly, the size of the room is reduced by the extension of the barre into the room. Since these studios may oftentimes be used for purposes other than the practicing of dancing, it is desirable to make as little encroachment upon the available room space as possible.

An object of this invention is to provide a dance barre which, can be folded flat against the wall or removed therefrom with a minimum of difficulty.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dance barre which may be readily removed from the wall for employment elsewhere and yet will provide the necessary support for practicing dancing.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a unique dance barre assembly which can be easily set up for use at different heights from the floor as required.

Still another feature of this invention is the provisions of a novel and useful dance barre.

These and other features of the invention are achieved by providing a dance barre consisting of a barre member which has spaced therealong sockets which are inserted in one side thereof. A supporting bracket is provided for each of these sockets. This bracket consists of a rod member having a first end portion, from which there extends at right angles a first cross portion. A middle portion extends from the end of the first cross portion parallel to the first end portion, a second cross portion extends from the end of the middle portion at an angle greater than 90, and a second end portion extends from the end of the second cross portion along substantially the same axis and the same direction as the first end portion. The two end portions fit into openings in two blocks which are attached to the wall in a manner to support a bracket and permit it to be rotated, if desired. At the junction of the first cross portion and middle portion, there is attached a flange and a spindle extending from said flange. The spindle is inserted into and cooperates with the socket in the dance barre to both provide support for the dance barre and to enable the dance barre to be moved against the wall when the bracket is moved against the wall.

The novel features that are considered characteristic 2. of this invention are setforth with particularity in; the appended claims, The invention itself, both as to its organization and method of operation, as wellas additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be undenstood from the following description when read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1- is a plan view of asection of the dance, barre supported by two brackets; and

Figure 2 is a side view of a bracket and a section of the-dance barre showing the socket therein.

Referring now to Figure 1, there may be seen a section of a dance barre 10. This barre, is preferably made of wood or some other material which can be held withoutdi'scomfort. Spaced along the barre are sockets, 12, which may better be seen in Figure 2. The barre is supported parallel to the wall and floor by means of brackets 14. These brackets are supported from the Wall by means of blocks 16. Two blocks, are required for each bracket. The blocks are attached, to the wall by screws 18, which pass through openings therethrough into the wall, A bracket, is made of a rod of steel or some other strong structural material. The rod is formed to have a first end portion 20, a first cross member 22, which extends at right angles from the first end portion, a middle portion or member 24, extending at right angles from the cross portion and parallel to said first portion. Extending at an angle in excess of from the end of the member of the middle portion is a second cross portion 26, which terminates in a second end portion 28. This second end portion is substantially aligned with the first end portion and extends in the same direction. The first and second end portions are inserted in holes in the wall blocks 16. The holes are made deep enough to provide the necessary support for the brackets and to prevent pullout due to the activities of the users. The holes are also made large enough to enable the bracket to rotate or swivel therein when required.

At the junction of the first cross portion and the middle portion is a flange 30, and, extending therefrom, is a spindle 32. The spindle fits into the socket 12 in the dance barre. The flange adds further support to the dance barre. The socket and spindle co-operate to enable the dance barre to be swiveled or moved flat against the wall when it is desired to provide more room in a studio. If desired, the dance barre and bracket assembly may be readily lifted from the supporting blocks and removed altogether. Also, where alternate classes are conducted, consisting either of children or of adults, by using auxiliary wall blocks 34, such as those shown dotted, the dance barre may be elevated or lowered in accordance with the requirements of the class, thus saving the expense of an additional installation. The dance barre may be clamped to prevent motion toward the wall by either providing a metal bar which is fixed to the wall to rotate only in a vertical plane which locks into one of the sockets in the barre which is not being used or, preferably, by providing a clamp from the wall block to the cross portions to prevent them from rotating. These are obvious expedients and are not considered as a part of this invention.

Accordingly, there has been shown and described herein a novel, useful dance barre which is portable and/or collapsible and may be used where required to replace expensive installations of multiple dance barres.

I claim:

1. A collapsible dance barre assembly for attachment to a wall comprising a barre member, a plurality of socket openings spaced along said barre member, a bracket for each of said socket openings, each of said brackets including a spindle removably inserted in said socket, a first cross member to which said spindle is attached and extending at right angles from said spindle,

Patented Nov. 12, 1957 3 a second cross member attached to said first cross member in a plane with said spindle and first cross member and at an angle to said first cross member, and means to removably support each bracket first and secondcross member from said wall. 7 V 2. A collapsible dance barre assembly for attachment to a wall comprising a barre member, means to support said barre member from said wall including a bracket having ;a first and second end portion spaced therefrom and extending parallel to said Wall a first cross member extending at right angles from said first end portion, a middle portion having a length smaller than the spacing between said first and second end portions and connected at one end to said first cross member, a second cross member extending between the other end of said middle member and said second end portion, means attached to said first cross member at its junction with said middle member to rotatably support said barre member parallel to said wall, and means to rotatably support said first and second end members from said wall.

3. A collapsible dance barre assembly for attachment to a wall comprising a barre member having therein a plurality of sockets spaced therealong and means to support said barre member parallel to a wall comprising a bracket for each socket, each said bracket including a rod member having a first end portion, a first cross portion extending at right angles from said first end portion, a middle portion extending at right angles from said cross portion in the same direction as said first end portion, a flange at the junction of said first end and middle portions, a spindle extending from said flange and opposite to said middle portion, said spindle being shaped to removably co-operate with said socket, a second cross portion of said rod extending at an angle in excess of 90 degrees from said middle portion and toward said first end portion, and a second end portion extending from said second cross portion in the same direction and substantially aligned with said first end portion, and means to rotatably supporteach of said brackets by its first and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Arnold Sept. 8, 1914 Bellezza et al Mar. 4, 1952 socket hole intowhich said end portions may removably 

